Global Economy: are Australia and Canada the Best Places to Live in the World?

The latest EIU ‘liveability’ report gives high scores to Australian and Canadian cities, whilst Europe and USA’s fall down the league table.

The recently published Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) global “liveability” study has placed an incredible 4 Australian cities in the top 10. Canada also scores extremely highly with 3, whilst Vienna and Helsinki were the only two European cities which managed to make the cut.

The survey takes into account things like the availability of goods and services, personal risk, and the efficency of a city’s infrastructure. It does not take into account climate or the cost of living as a factor in 'liveability. The scoring system also takes away points for things like high crime levels, the terrorism threat and the risk of civil unrest.

Australia’s high ranking in this particular survey comes down to a number of factors. Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey editor Jon Copestake says:

"Australian cities continue to thrive in terms of liveability - not only do they benefit from the natural advantages of low population density, but they have continued to improve with some high profile infrastructure investments,"

Melbourne's score of 97.5 per cent is close to the perfect score, with the city only losing points for things like, culture and petty crime. Adelaide lost points on culture and environment but new infrastructure in the city pushed it above Sydney. The harbour city (Syndney) scored well in healthcare, education and infrastructure but was regarded the least stable among the Aussie cities in the top spots. in a survey which takes away points considers crime, the terrorism threat and the risk of civil unrest.

On the other hand European and US cities did not fair so well. Manchester was rated as the UK’s most ‘liveable’ city at number 52, whilst London which has recently basked in Olympic glory could only manage number 55. Both city’s fall in rankings was partly due to last year’s riots.

The EIU report, which describes the concept of livability as simple, is compiled for business people from western countries and used to work out hardship allowances as part of an expatriate's relocation package. The report's authors say that the survey quantifies the challenges that might be presented to an individual's lifestyle in 140 cities worldwide. Seen from such a western perspective, it is therefore not surprising that the survey's top cities are all located in wealthy western countries. The cities that do best in this ranking are mid-sized conurbations in countries with low population densities. Such conditions are likely to result in low crime levels, functioning infrastructure and easily available recreational activities.

The best 10 cities to live in, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit global 'liveability' study are:

1. Melbourne, Australia
2. Vienna, Austria
3. Vancouver, Canada
4. Toronto, Canada
5. Calgary, Canada
6. Adelaide, Australia
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Helsinki, Finland
9. Perth, Australia
10. Auckland, New Zealand

Fuente: Study International